High on the stuff to buy and learn list is new video software. I'm just using Windows movie maker right now. I know it's kinda of clunky but it's handy for "can't even set the clock on a VCR" folks like me.

Very interested to hear that you plan to fly the 90' ascender this year. What are the material differences between the inflatable structures you currently use and that for the ascender? Looking at pictures of your ascender each arm appears to consist of about half a dozen cells (I imagine those seams I can see mark the boundaries between cells) and I'm wondering how many cell failures you can absorb and still ascend.

could you imagine to launch a vehicle that uses chemical engines from the ATO?

I am thinking theoretically and academically only this moment: Before ATO is at orbital velocity a vehicle using a chemical drive could be launched from ATO which can achieve 3.5 Mach. If ATO is at 24,260 km/h the chemically driven vehicle could be launched and were at orbital velocity.

I don't know if that is too dangerous or if it is possible at all and simply were thinking of the 3.5Mach-Capability of SSO and other designed suborbital vehicles to which another 24,260 km/h would have be added to be at orbital velocity.

Putting a chemical rocket on an airship that must--by its very nature--be superlightweight and fragile is, well. I'd better not say. I don't know about electric thrust--but beamed energy and some type of charge to repel--getting your energy from the ground--that might be something.

Hmm. A thought. If I recall right, JP was planning on using ion thrusters powered by solar cells that would be mounted on the gas bags. I don't know if it would work, but using an ion wind technology might actually be better, b/c it would eliminate the need for propulsion mass. This also might be combined with electro-tether drive (which pushes against earth's magnetic field, if I am correct) to reach orbit. So far, the ion wind devices have proven very inefficient, but they are capable of limited flight, whereas an ion thruster is definitely not.

What do you call "limited flight"? And why isn't an ion thruster capable of it?

The idea to launch a chemical driven vehicle off the ATO during acceleration for achieving the orbit has to do with several aspects:

1. It would be another kind of air launch of far similarity to that of SpaceShipOne.
2. It could open an additional market for JP Aerospace: ATO would be acting as a reusable additional stage for that chemical vehicle which could increase the number of payed flights.
3. ATO could act as the air launch vehicle, then get into orbit itself and then return the vehicle again - after having done other work and tasks in orbit perhaps.

The ATO still would be used for the purposes it is designed for originally. The chemically driven vehicle simply would be another kind of cargo which is released long before ATO itself achieves the orbit.

hey man are you open for pics then? Im dying of boredom here now Uni is up, would be happy to sketch some pics or crete some art for you! quiate handy with a pencil! Have you got and 3D models of your ships? could be fun using them with some 3d applications to cretae lifelike scapes or scenes with images and videos?
Rob

We're open to pics and Art of Ascender and Dark Sky Station from anyone. I can send you a 3d model of the Ascender and DSS if you want. They're pretty simple but they do the job. There the ones we use in the animation.

Saturday JP Aerospace conducted several tests of the balloon deployment system on the Away 28 vehicle. On the last test we floated the vehicle above the shop to check for stability. This test was a lot of work, however the team had a great time. It always feels good to get something in the air even if it's just a few feet.

We took a lot of pics and this time more them one came out! (shock, disbelief, amazement)
I've posted a bunch of them at the JPA web site:
www.jpaerospace.com Look under the update log.

from [url=http://www.jpaerospace.com/whatsnew.html] Update Log, 8/13/2005:
This is a drawing of the Transatmospheric Ascender, (TA). The TA is an intermediate vehicle in ATO development.
This vehicle will fly from the Block II Dark Sky Station to 60 miles up. In the big scheme of things it comes after the Mach Gliders and before the small orbital airship.[/url]